Photographs
by slipp
Summary: Callie tells her moms about going into Liam's house and her encounter with his mom. One Shot


**A/N: Hello! So someone had requested this and I had been thinking of the same thing for a long time actually I just never got around to it. I'm like 99% sure Callie drove, but for the sake of the story I'm saying AJ did. Anyways, I hope you enjoy and as usual, I don't own the fosters.**

"Do you want me to come in with you?" AJ asked as he pulled up the driveway of the Adams Foster house.

Callie took a breath and wiped her face, and without looking at him, replied, "no, I just wanna be by myself. Thanks, though, for offering-and coming."

AJ gave an understanding nod before kissing Callie's cheek. Callie touched his hand before opening the door of Mike's car and stepping out. Her camera bag smacked against her leg as she made the short walk to the front door, her mind completely exhausted and overwhelmed with Mrs. Olmstead's words swirling around, almost inhibiting her from thinking of anything else.

She opened the big brown door of her house and half-slammed it behind her. She could see Stef standing at the island in the kitchen, flipping through mail.

"Hey, love," Stef called to her, half looking up.

Callie was never one to seek affection. She craved it, of course, but it was rare for her to initiate it herself. However, she surprised herself as she walked ahead, up and down the few steps in between the entrance and the kitchen. Stef looked up to see the young girl right in front of her, seeing the slightly puffy cheeks and red eyes. Before Stef could say anything, Callie had her arms around her, holding her tightly as she rested her head down on Stef's shoulder. Stef, while surprised, wrapped her arms around her daughter. Callie could feel hot tears in her eyes, but had no energy to stop them as they fell onto the blonde's shirt. Stef felt the wetness on her shoulder, and could hear the gentle sniffles coming from the girl.

"What's the matter, baby? What happened?" Stef tried, squeezing the girl closer to her.

Callie just took a deep breath in, letting out a small sob as she breathed out. She had no idea why she was doing this, or why she cared so much in general. She loved Stef and Lena, she did, but she hated feeling like she was weak or dramatic or pitiful.

"Shhhhhh," Stef whispered in Callie's ear.

Seeing Callie like this broke Stef's heart. She pulled away after a minute and looked into the teen's eyes. Their deep brown color made Stef's heart melt, because they reminded her so much of Lena's. She cupped Callie's face in her hands and rubbed her thumbs on Callie's wet cheeks.

"My sweet baby," Stef cooed, "come here, let's sit, yes?"

Stef put her hands on Callie's shoulders and led her to the small breakfast nook in the back of the kitchen. Callie sat down, wiping under her eyes and looking up at the ceiling.

"Now, what's got you all worked up? Who does this Mom have to go after?" Stef joked in an effort to calm the girl down.

Callie gave a small smile in response to the last comment. She was about to speak when she was interrupted by the front door opening and closing.

"Hello?" Lena called out.

"In here," Stef responded.

Lena followed her wife's voice into the kitchen, and saw her and her daughter sitting as close as two people could get.

Lena's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the tear stained cheeks of the girl.

"What's wrong, honey?" Lena asked, setting her purse down on the counter before quickly making her way to the both of them.

"I was just trying to find out," Stef replied.

Lena sat down on Callie's other side, gently placing her hand on the small of her daughter's back.

Callie took a breath in. She loved both of these women with her whole heart and trusted them more than anything, but she still found it so hard to form words to talk to them, often causing problems for herself in the long run.

Instead, Callie placed her camera bag on the table and pulled the large thing out. She opened her photos to the picture of the large house with the white picket fence before handing it to Stef.

Stef held it in the middle of them to give Lena a better view.

"Whose house is this, honey?" Lena asked gently as she rubbed her back.

Callie didn't even want to say his name. She hated it. The sound of it, the way it felt coming out of her mouth, everything about it made her want to vomit.

"Liam's." Callie said as emotionless as possible.

Stef felt her heart fall into her stomach. "Oh, my love."

Callie didn't look at either of the women. She stared straight ahead, using all of her energy to focus on the fridge. She noticed every speck, every crinkle in every recipe pinned on it, every magnet.

Neither woman wanted to push her, so they let her sit for a moment. They looked at each other with the same look in their eyes.

After a moment, Callie decided to speak, surprising herself even.

"I went through the fence. And I know that's trespassing and I know I shouldn't have. But I wanted a closer picture. Then she pulled up behind me."

"Who is she?" Lena questioned.

"His mom," Callie answered.

Stef already had a feeling she wasn't going to like what was said next. That whole family was trouble, and while she didn't like to say that she hated anyone, she did hate them. All of them.

"She invited me inside, and again, I know that was stupid and I shouldn't have went but I did anyways," Callie admitted.

"Callie, what did she say to you?" Stef asked, the anger hard to hide.

"Stef," Lena tried.

"She started off fine, I guess. She told me her and her husband were getting a divorce. She blamed me for everything," Callie half chuckled. "She said that her son wasn't a-a rapist, or a thief. She said she was sorry for every bringing me into their house and told me to get my pictures of the home I ruined."

"Callie, you know that's not true. You know none of what happened then or now is your fault. I know you know that," Lena started.

Stef just sat in disbelief, her anger threatening to boil over at any minute. She didn't want to say anything that would upset or stress Callie out.

Callie licked her lips. "I went up to my room. It looked the same, literally every part of it was unchanged. It was like a time capsule."

Stef brushed a stray piece of brown hair out of the girl's face and tucked it behind her ear.

Callie reached for her camera and clicked through the photos she had taken and placed it back on the table, a blurry picture of the room still on the screen.

"May I?" Lena asked, motioning at the camera.

Callie just quickly nodded, saying nothing.

Lena picked the camera up off the table and scrolled through the remainder of the photos with Stef. The photos spoke volumes, capturing so much of what happened that night without really saying it. She put the camera back down and wrapped her arms around the young girl.

"You are so brave, you know that? Just like your mom," Lena said, smiling at Stef, who still hadn't said anything.

Stef smiled gently back at her wife, still so caught up in her anger. She mentally hit herself. Why couldn't she put it aside for just a minute?

Callie didn't feel brave. Not one bit. She felt defeated, and sad, and angry, and almost every other emotion that she felt did not equate to being brave.

"I love you," Stef blurted out. It was all she could muster out at the time.

"We both do," Lena added.

"I love you too," Callie said quietly.

"I'm gonna go nap before dinner," Callie said after a moment of silence.

"Okay, I'll come get you when it's ready," Lena replied, getting up to let the girl slide out.

Stef kissed the girl's forehead before letting her head upstairs.

Soon enough, it was just the two of them in the kitchen.

Lena let out a sigh.

"I'm going to kill her," Stef said, placing both hands on the table behind her.

"Stef, stop," Lena tried.

"No, Lena. How _dare_ she. How dare she say those things to her," Stef said angrily.

"Stef, I agree, believe me I am angry too. So angry, but that isn't helping her right now," Lena replied.

"Our daughter is not a liar," Stef said, shaking her head.

"Of course she's not. We know that. She knows that," Lena said, inching towards her wife.

"I just- my _God_ Lena. When will this girl ever get a break. I mean, really, what kind of sick joke is this?" Stef continued, looking into Lena's eyes.

"I know," Lena said simply.

Stef put her arms around Lena's waist. Lena engulfed the blonde in her embrace.

The two stood like that in silence before Stef pulled away.

"Go up and wash your face and lie down. I'll get dinner started," Lena instructed.

Stef didn't even realize she had let a few tears fall, but nodded her head. She pecked Lena's lips before heading up the stairs.

Stef entered their room and made her way to the bathroom. She looked in the mirror and laughed. The only thing that ever got her so worked up were her children. She splashed some water on her face, then decided to just take a shower to clear her head.

After a long shower, she dried off and saw she had been in there for 45 minutes already. Making her way to the girls' room, she gently knocked on the door before opening it.

"Hey, Miss Thing, can I talk to Callie alone for a few minutes?" Stef asked.

Mariana looked up from her laptop and over at Callie. "Yea, sure."

She mouthed a 'good luck' before leaving, making Stef laugh as she gently tapped her butt on the way out.

Callie was sitting up in bed, and she looked over at Stef who had begun walking closer to the bed.

Stef sat down at edge of the bed and took a breath.

"You kids make me crazy," she began.

"I am so mad, not at you, never at you, not for this. And I know that doesn't help you, or anything for that matter, but when it comes to you kids I just can't help it. I love you guys so much, and knowing that someone could make you so upset, that someone could hurt you so much, it hurt me," Stef admitted.

Callie didn't say anything.

"People always want someone else to blame if the real person at fault isn't what they wanted. So they search and search for reason's to hurt someone else and make them feel guilty when they shouldn't. You did nothing wrong, you know you told the truth, we know you told the truth, and nothing she says to you can change that. It's hard to accept when your child does something wrong, I get that, but she had no right to talk to you that way, and I'm sorry she did," Stef continued.

Callie still didn't say anything. She wasn't angry, just exhausted.

"I wish I could take all your pain away. I wish I could make all those memories disappear, but I don't have that superpower. But, I will always be here to help you through your pain, no matter what. Okay?" Stef said.

Callie nodded her head.

"I love you. I know I tell you every day, but sometimes my heart just bursts with love for you all, so I need to tell you again and again," Stef smiled.

Stef hugged the girl, brushing her fingers through her hair.

"For the record, we are so glad we brought you into this house. Your house. You make our lives so bright with that smile of yours. Your laugh is one of my favorite sounds in the world. Your heart is so big it barely fits inside of you. We love every little thing about you, from the top of your head to the very tip of your toes. Never forget that," Stef said, smiling as she talked about her girl.

"I'm glad I'm here, too," Callie said through a smile of her own.


End file.
